Why is it important?
The topic could be discussed for days on end. We will provide some highlights here to help you understand why FLOSS (Free/Libre/Open-Source Software) is important. Free or open source software spans and touches so many parts of our daily lives, that they could not be listed, from this webpage, to the webserver it runs on, to your television, cell phone, and microwave. This brief discussion won't try to comment on each, however it will present a few key ways in which FLOSS is important and leave the details for later articles, discussions, and your own personal research.
A few of the importances are:
- Promotes and enables learning
- Allows equal opportunity
- Modifiable to fit need
- Results in solid products
- Encourages community
- Offers choice and competition
FLOSS is available software, both in the sense that it can be used without cost and that the source is available for examination. When looking strictly at cost, FLOSS is equal opportunity, meaning that it is available to all of us, whether rich or poor we can all use it. Unlike commercial products, there is no reason to purchase an expensive software package costing hundreds or thousands of dollars that cannot be shared or used on multiple machines or... FLOSS can be freely shared and run on as many machines as desired. This really levels the field concerning large corporations and small independent businesses and individuals.
In similar manner, FLOSS is equal educating, because anyone can download and learn from the code. Again there are no restrictions or costs giving advantage to the corporate giants; the software developer in his/her personal loft at home has the same opportunity as the one working 'at the office' with thousands of dollars at his/her disposal.
If a particular application does, almost, what you need, you can modify and extend it to add that functionality (if it's FLOSS). Similarly if you discover a bug in the software, it is possible to look into the code to fix the bug immediately. As if that isn't a great benefit in and of itself, these extensions and fixes are often sent back to those who maintain the software so they can be included in future versions and shared with everyone.
This sharing of ideas (extensions) and fixes results in a community of people who work together and have similar vision and experience, which in turn creates an improved product with few[er] bugs that is solid and performs well in a variety of environments. WOW! What a great chain of benefit, all from simply opening software and making it equally free.
Competition should speak for itself. When a single corporation controls the market, they not only control its direction but they can also stagnate it. Why spend money on innovation when there is no need and no other option? Although FLOSS is not always the dominant player in most markets such as operating systems, web browsers, or office suite software, it is a key factor, motivator, inspiration, and innovation in pushing the other players to improve, which then pushes the FLOSS to improve... and the cycle continues. FLOSS often leads the way in innovation, which ultimately benefits us all, the closed and the free alike.
These are only a few of the benefits, but none of these are possible without FLOSS. Without FLOSS, the source code is closed and not available to others, software often costs large amounts to use, cannot be modified or repaired when problems occur, and is often developed by those who are instructed to 'make it work' instead of having pride in and a desire to do great work.
FLOSS makes us equal friends using solid affordable products that we are passionate about and that enable us to succeed! FLOSS is crucially important!
